Owners of historic Emily Carr home in James Bay call on Province to help preserve legacy

A call to action has been sent out to the BC government to help preserve a local legacy: the Emily Carr residence. 

The family that currently owns the historic James Bay home has urged the Province to step in and help preserve it before it succumbs to disrepair.

It currently holds a provincial designation as a heritage home, but hasn’t received public funding since 1989, and the site is now in urgent need of financial support and repairs. 

Located at 646 Simcoe Street and also known as the “House of All Sorts,” Carr lived, painted and also wrote some of her most well-known works there. It now serves as a gathering place for artists, visitors and students who wish to celebrate her legacy.

“This property isn’t just a house—it’s a living piece of Canadian history,” said Peter Willis, owner, House of All Sorts. 

“Emily Carr captured the spirit of this land in her work, and this home helped shape that vision.  We’ve worked hard to preserve it and share it with the public but it’s unaffordable and we can’t do it alone.” 

Willis added that they’re asking for three key measures from the government:

• Immediate funding to maintain the house
• A fair working agreement tied to its designation
• Exemption from Short-Term Rental and Accommodation Act so the house is free to generate income, as Carr herself also used to rent out rooms

According to a media release, there’s been support for the Carr house’s exemption from the City of Victoria, as they recognize the financial relief renting out rooms would provide. 

However, despite multiple appeals to the BC government between December 2024 and July 2025, there hasn’t been any funding or assistance offered. 

“Emily Carr herself rented rooms here to support her art. Short-term rentals have been a part of this house’s story since the beginning,” said Willis. 

“We’re simply asking the province to help us carry on her legacy.”

Without action, Willis says, the house could be lost. This would be a devastating blow to not only Victoria’s cultural heritage, but all of BC’s as well.

Emily Carr was born in Victoria in 1871 and lived until 1945, and is still to this day celebrated as one the country’s most celebrated and influential artists and writers. 

She’s known for her bold and vibrant modernist paintings that are inspired by the landscapes and Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. She’s among the Group of Seven and is recognized as a pioneer of Canadian art.

The House of All Sorts is separate from the Carr House National Historic Site, which is a publicly owned property on Government Street.

If you wish to learn more about the preservation efforts of the Emily Carr residence, you can visit their website.